Lazio Jersey 1971-72

• 

• 

Image Sources: SS Lazio Museum. White version recreated using Grok Images

After several seasons in which darker blue shirts had appeared as part of the club's official equipment, Lazio returned to their traditional identity. The classic celeste shirt with white detailing was restored as the club's primary design, while the blue jersey that had featured in previous seasons disappeared from the official kit.

The change represented a return to tradition.

The technical supply of the club remained in the hands of Tuttosport, the Rome-based sporting goods company founded by Angelo Torda. Tuttosport was an important part of Lazio's identity during the 1970s, although the company did not actually manufacture the shirts itself. Instead, production was entrusted to external manufacturers, with the garments carrying the Tuttosport label.

During the 1971-72 season, at least two different manufacturers were involved in producing Lazio's jerseys.

One was Ennerre, based in Montesilvano in the province of Pescara, while another was a Roman knitwear manufacturer in the San Giovanni area whose identity has since been lost.

The result was an unusual situation in which Lazio began the season in one shirt and finished it in another.

The first home jersey, worn from the opening league match against Brescia until the fifth matchday against Como, was a short-sleeved celeste shirt with white detailing.

The shirt was made from heavy cotton, giving it a substantial feel typical of football jerseys from the period. Unlike modern shirts, where collars and cuffs are usually separate pieces sewn onto the body, the collar and cuffs on this jersey were incorporated directly into the knitting of the fabric.

The collar was a traditional V-neck, while the absence of side seams gave the shirt a particularly clean construction.

The match numbers were sewn onto the back of the jersey by machine. They were made from a thin plastic-like material and were white, providing a strong contrast against the celeste background.

This first version of the shirt was worn during the opening weeks of Lazio's return to Serie B.

As the autumn progressed and temperatures dropped, the club moved to a long-sleeved version of the same basic design. The long-sleeved jersey was worn from the sixth league match, away to Sorrento, through to the 27th matchday, when Lazio travelled to Palermo.

The long-sleeved version retained the same traditional celeste and white colour scheme and continued to feature the same style of match numbering.

Then, with spring approaching, another change took place.

Source SS Lazio Museum

On 9 April 1972, Lazio travelled to face Monza. For the final part of the season, the club introduced a completely new short-sleeved jersey.

This second design would become the most historically significant shirt of the campaign.

Unlike the heavy cotton of the opening-day jersey, the new shirt was made from a lighter, brushed wool fabric known as lanetta rasata. The material would prove particularly important in Lazio's kit history, as the same type of fabric remained in use for many seasons afterwards.

The new jersey retained the traditional V-neck but featured a more elongated collar with a noticeably pronounced point. The cuffs were also wider than those of the shirt worn at the beginning of the campaign.

The match numbering remained unchanged.

The numbers were still white and made from the lightly textured, plastic-like material that had been used on the earlier shirts.

Although the differences may appear subtle to the modern eye, the change represented a completely new model of jersey. The two shirts were made from different materials and had visibly different collar and cuff constructions.

Lazio also had an away shirt which was like the home one but white with a light blue V neck.

Sources

SS Lazio Museum